The varsity baseball team opens its season on March 20 at Parkway West, but before it could prepare to participate in the Parkway round robin tournament, the team had to go through tryouts.

“We just finished tryouts, and we’re gearing up for [our first game],” Coach Ray Howard said.

While it is extremely difficult to assemble a team, this year, it was even more difficult to pull together, according to Coach Howard.

“Every year is difficult, but this year had a lot of tough decisions,” Coach Howard. “Having to tell good kids they’re not a part of the team is always tough.”

Nevertheless, Coach Howard is confident in the players he and his staff have chosen this year, which consists of all seniors and one junior. With the heavy amount of seniors out on the field, Coach Howard believes experience will play a major role in the success of the team.

“[We] think we have a lot of experience at higher levels of baseball,” Coach Howard said. “This might be one of the best teams we have fielded in quite some time.”

Despite having confidence in his team, Coach Howard believes there are a few areas that need improvement before the beginning of the season.

“Our pitching staff as a whole needs to throw strikes and avoid walks,” Coach Howard said. “We also need to bring energy to every game.”